Friday, December 17, 2010

Krampus is the dark counterpart of Saint Nicholas. St. Nicholas rewards good kids with gifts and treats; and never punishes naughty children, parceling out this task to a ghastly helper from below. Krampus, is unmistakably darker; he often appears as a traditional red devil with cloven hoof and goatish horns, although he can also be spotted as an old bearded wild-man or a huge hairy beast. He comes to punish the naughty children, and is often depicted carrying them in chains or in a basket to a fiery place below.

Santa's all well and good, but darker things lurk in the woods. Krampus brings switches and bad dreams to the misbehaving children, threatening more than just a lump of coal....

Although its distant pagan origins are mostly repressed, Christmas gift-giving and its folklore and customs still embody the pre-Christian European winter solstice tradition. In the dark recesses of our cultural consciousness, the link between the Goat-horned Devil and Saint Nick is clear. If we are naughty,the potent holiday devil archetype who rules over this age-old festival season will come calling!